Putin opens to a Trump-Zelensky summit as Russian strikes on Ukraine continue

Moscow opens the door to a three-way summit

Russian deputy foreign minister Serghei Ryabkov said the idea of a meeting between Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump had been raised during the three-hour talks between Steve Witkoff and Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday, 21 October. He added that no full agreement exists yet and that the discussion is still in progress. Moscow had previously refused such a meeting, saying it would only be feasible once a deal ending the war was reached. Trump said the sides were moving closer to resolving the war between Russia and Ukraine, perhaps closer than at any point so far.

The only official outcome beyond the summit idea was the release of the American Stephen Hubbard from Russian prisons. Trilateral contacts between Moscow, Kyiv and Washington are likely to resume in November 2026, though at technical rather than leader level. Witkoff had met Zelensky in Oslo the day before, together with representatives of European countries, including Italy.

Putin's terms and Zelensky's reply

In an interview with Pavel Zarubin, a broadcaster close to the Kremlin, Putin said he believed an agreement could be reached while restating his red lines. He described the Donbas as historically Russian territory, argued that the people living there had voted first for independence and then for reunification with Russia, and called it inappropriate for Kyiv to speak of territorial losses. He also said any future trilateral talks should address security guarantees for Moscow and wider European security, and that Russia is not preparing for war with Europe. Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's adviser on foreign investment, said he was convinced the parties were moving toward a long-term peace, while Moscow keeps rejecting any solution that is only temporary.

In an interview with CNN, Zelensky said there was nothing personal between him and Trump. He asked Washington not to ease sanctions on Moscow and to strengthen Ukraine's air defences. He said he was open to freezing the current front line but excluded recognising occupied territories as Russian. Talks could take place in Abu Dhabi in November, although the level of participation was not yet clear.

Zelensky reported that Russia bombarded Ukraine during the night between Wednesday and Thursday, 21 to 22 October, using 21 missiles and more than 200 drones. The attack killed at least two people and injured 34. He said three waves of ballistic missiles were launched against Kyiv, and he expected attacks to intensify as supplies of interceptor missiles to Ukraine decline.

The Starlink dispute

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had phoned Elon Musk to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of Starlink, a speed cap of roughly 160 km/h that disrupted links to drones and interceptors. Another report put the cap at 161 km/h. Il Giornale said the service then began working more smoothly, although some Kyiv sources said it had not fully recovered. A Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent that nothing had changed and the limit remained in force.

The row also involves a Wall Street Journal report from Tuesday, 20 October, that Musk had personally ordered a slowdown of Starshield, the military version of SpaceX's satellite service. Musk reportedly said the decisions rested with US military authorities and ultimately the president. Trump denied being responsible for the limits. One report estimated that the malfunctions could cost tens of millions of dollars.